Lombardi on signings, plus other notes

Dean Lombardi took a few minutes today to talk to me and Lisa Dillman of the Los Angeles Times about a few of the latest Kings-related stories, particularly the recent re-signings of Colin Fraser, Jarret Stoll, Jonathan Quick and Dustin Penner, as well as the assistant-coach opening. The full quotes are below…

On unrelated notes, a couple other items… The Kings are expected to announce their development-camp schedule tomorrow. As usual, there will be a handful of public on-ice sessions in El Segundo (sometime over the next week or so), so I’ll pass those along as soon as they’re available. Also, I touched base today with Drew Doughty’s attorney, Craig Renetzky, and there’s nothing new to report in relation to the rape allegations. Renetzky still has not heard anything from the District Attorney’s office about possible charges. Finally — we’re really all over the place here — the Kings are still technically “in’’ the Zach Parise sweepstakes, given that Parise hasn’t announced his choice yet, but it seems clear that nobody in the organization is waiting with bated breath. The Kings like Parise a lot, and made a strong offer, but they’re anticipating turning their attention toward other players, with Shane Doan likely remaining a possibility.

Here’s the stuff from Lombardi this afternoon…

Question: You were able to get your deals (Fraser, Stoll, Quick) done quickly. Was it as simple as it looked?

LOMBARDI: “I’ve always said this. When both sides are willing to do a deal, you can get it done. What drags on a lot of times, like the one we had earlier in the year [Drew Doughty], it’s a different set of circumstances. Obviously the key here was, each one of those players definitely wanted to stay. They were willing to work with us, in terms of making it fit within the salary structure. It’s a credit to those players, because they are the ones who make the ultimate decision. It was very clear that they were committed to this team.’’

Question: The last one was Penner. What was your ultimate thought process there, in getting that done?

LOMBARDI: “Obviously it was the last one that we did. We had the draft and everything, but we really thought it was imperative for him to sit down with Darryl and I, and let him know — how do you want to put this… You can’t do anything contractually, but we felt it was important for Darryl to re-affirm what’s going to have to happen next year, that, in the end, no matter what we do in terms of adding or subtracting players, every one of those players has to get better. I just think, with Dustin, obviously we saw it’s been a long ride, but we want to make sure that he’s committed to the effort we saw in the last two months, and not the player we saw prior to. And he was very good, too. Darryl, it was, look him in the eye, man to man, and there were no punches pulled. To his credit, he could have easily went to the market and maybe came back, but he called that night and said, `No, I want to stay, and I’m going to show you.’ He was willing to take a one-year deal. It says a lot about him, too, in terms of his commitment, that he had no interest in testing the waters. Like I said, in that conversation, Darryl didn’t pull any punches, which you probably don’t expect him to. He said, `No, I’m in.’ Even that one, I give him a lot of credit.’’

Question: Any word on when you might fill that assistant-coach opening?

LOMBARDI: “Darryl is working through the process. I think it’s probably safe to say he’s got it within four guys. But it’s more important that he get the right guy. There’s no hurry here. It’s critical that he gets a guy he feels is the right fit. I would say, right now, his list probably has four or five.’’

Question: Do you expect Bernie (Nicholls) to come back in that same role next season?

LOMBARDI: “Same thing as last year, with Darryl bringing him in. Wherever I’ve been, I’ve felt the coach knows, particularly a veteran coach, that he knows what he needs to succeed. So, that’s a question for Darryl.’’

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#6 | 6′ 3″ | 216 lb | Age: 27

Bio

Muzzin was drafted in 2007 by the Pittsburgh Penguins, before signing to the Kings in 2010. He has since become the first Woodstock, Ontario professional athlete to win a major sports trophy.VIEW JAKE MUZZIN POSTS

Anze Kopitar

#11 | 6′ 3″ | 224 lb | Age: 29

Bio

As the 11th overall pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, Kopitar became the first Slovenian to play in the NHL. Kopitar has spent his entire NHL career with the Kings, and following the 2015–16 season, was named the Kings’ captain. Noted for both his offensive and defensive play, Kopitar was awarded the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward in the NHL in 2016.

#8 | 6′ 1″ | 195 lb | Age: 26

Bio

Bio: Doughty is a Canadian defenceman who was selected second overall by the Kings in the 2008 Draft. Doughty made his NHL debut in 2008 as an 18-year-old and was named to the All-Rookie Team. He is a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Kings, a two-time Olympic gold medallist with the Canadian national team, and a Norris Trophy finalist.

#73 | 6′ 1″ | 200 lb | Age: 24

Bio

Toffoli is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward, drafted by the Kings in the second round of the 2010 Draft. Toffoli scored his first career NHL goal in his second game in a 4–0 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes in 2013. He was also named the 2012–13 AHL All-Rookie Team.VIEW TYLER TOFFOLI POSTS

Jeff Carter

#77 | 6′ 4″ | 215 lb | Age: 31

Bio

Carter began his hockey career playing in the Ontario Hockey League in Canada before joining the AHL and playing for the Philadelphia Flyers. He was then traded to the Colombus Blue jackets before joining the LA Kings in 2012, where he has since won two Stanley Cups with the Kings.

#32 | 6′ 1″ | 218 lb | Age: 30

Bio

Bio: Quick is the current goaltender for the LA Kings and was selected by Los Angeles at the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. Previously, Quick was a silver medalist with USA at the 2010 Winter Olympics. He’s won two Stanley Cup championships with the Kings, along with being the most recent goaltender to be awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs.